Life-preserver.



A; L. JAYNES.

LIFE PRESERVFR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY s. 1915. RENEWED APR. 18. 1911.

Patented Oct. 16, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

A Zfozwo l7. Ja gl E OR I BY ATTORNEYS.

A. L. JAYNES.

LIFE PRESERVER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, 1915. RENEWED APR. 18. 1917.

Patented Oct. 16, 1917 2 SHEETS-SHEIET 2.

. A Zfoms'o I Jayzzea 11v VEN TOR.

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@TATES PATENT @FldllCE.

ALFONSO L. JAYNES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO SAFETY ON SEA COMPANY,

I .A. CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

LIFE-PRESERVER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 16, 1917.

Application filed May 3, 1915, Serial No. 25,841. Renewed April 18, 1917. Serial No. 163,040.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFONSO LEE JAYNES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life-Preservers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to life preservers which resemble a garment, and its object is to provide an ei'licient and reliable device of this kind which can be easily and quickly put on, and which is foldable into small and compact form when not in use.

The object stated is attained by means of a novel combination and arrangement of parts to be herein-after described and claimed, and in order that the same may be better understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is an elevation of the device;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section thereof on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the device folded, and

Fig. 4 is a cross-section on the line ll-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring specifically to the drawings the device comprises head, body and leg incasing portions. The body portion consists of upper, intermediate, and bottom sections 5, 6 and 7, respectively, composed of sheet metal hoops which are arranged to telescope downwardly. The section 7 is secured at the bottom to a wooden disk or plate 8, the latter thus forming the bottom of the body portion and also closing the same here. The sections 6 and 7 carry, on the inside, spring catches 9 fastened at the bottom as indicated at 10, and having their upper ends free and shouldered as indicated at 11 to form seats for the bottom edges of the sections 5 and 6 when extended, to prevent the same from telescoping. When the sections are to be telescoped they are first raised slightly to allow the catches to spring back to clear the lower edges of the sections, after which the sections may be pushed down to telescope. The sections have a cover 12 of flexible, waterproof material, which when the sections are telescoped, folds above the same as shown at 13 in Fig. 4:-

The cover 12 is suitably secured to'the bottom section 7, and it is so dimensioned that it rises from the body portion, the part above the body portion forming the head incasing portion of the device. This head incasing portion comprises front and rear sections 14 and 15, respectively, reinforced at their meeting edges by bows 16 and 17, respectively, the bow 17 having a groove 18 to receive the how 16. The outer ends of the bows are pivotally connected, as indicated at 19, said connection being also made with the section 5 at the top thereof. Thus, the sections ll and 15 may be swung upward to come together above the body section and completely cover the head, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and they can also be folded by opening the same similar to a valise. In order to lock the head sections in closed position, the bow 17 has spring catches 21 engageable with keeper studs 22 on the how 16, the same being on the inside, and thus operable by the person wearing the device.

The front head section 14 has a glazed sight opening 23, air holes 2% and a top reinforcing guard for the bow 17. The rear head section has a glazed sight opening 25. The top of the how 17 has a socket piece 26 to hold the staff of a flag or other signal device 27.

In the bottom board 18 are leg openings 28 in which seat rings 31 having flanges 29 secured to the board by countersunk screws 30. These rings secure to the body portion of the device the leg incasing parts 32 made of flexible, waterproof material, and having at their lower ends foot incasing parts 33. Sandals or sole pieces at are also provided, the same being secured by straps 35. On the bottom of the sandals are hinged propeller wings 36, which, when the legs are swung back, stand out and thus assist propulsion through the water. On the forward stroke, the wings fold back as shown dotted in Fig. 1, and thus present no resistance to the water. The sandals are supported from the bottom board 8 of the body portion of the device by suspension chains 38, whereby the weight of the wearer is not borne by the parts 32 but by the body portion. These chains are detachable so that they may be placed in the folded body portion when the device is not in use.

As the parts 32 are flexible, they can be folded or telescoped into the body portion, as shown in Fig. 4, and to facilitate this op eration, finger straps 39 are provided.

To the bottom board 8, at the sides of the leg openings 28, are two arched handles 40,

andon the inside of the body portion two double straps 41 are secured to the section 5. lhese parts serve the following purpose: A person about to put the device on first steps into the telescoped parts and then pulls up on the handles to. This operates to lift the body portion and to extend the parts 82. After this is done the person stoops slightly to place the straps 41 over the shoulders, and upon straightening up to full height, the body sections 5, 6 and 7 are extended to the required height, the top of the body portion being new about level with the persons shoulder. If the spring catches 9 do not automatically lock the sections, the wearer can readily push the sections upward slightly until they are locked. The head sections is and 15 are now drawn closed, after which the device is ready for use.

A metal partition plate as is secured to the bottom board 8 in front of the leg openings 28 to inclose any articles or food that are taken along. I

Chains 13 are secured at their lower ends to the bottom board 8, and at their intermediate and upper ends to-the sections 6 and 5, respectively, for preventing said sections from being extended beyond a safe limit.

A girdling line at is loosely hung by eyes to around the body portion of the device to serve as a hold for the rescuer.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for The wearer of the device has a short seating space on the bottom board 8, and when the wearer is in the water the device will float or sink to a certain depth, the leg portions 3:2 being entirely submerged to enable the wearer to move in the water, propulsion being facilitated by the wings 36 in the manner hereinbeiore described.

l. A. life preserver comprising head, body and leg incasing portions, the head portion comprising opposite sections of flexible material, said sections meeting when closed and being'i'oldable into open position, and bows secured to the meeting edges oi the sections, said bows being pivotally connected to the body portion, one of the bows. having a groove in which the other bow seats when the sections are closed.

2. A life preserver comprising bodyand leg inc-asing portions, the body portion comprising telescopically connected sections, shoulder straps carried by the top section on the inside thereof, and a flexible waterproof cover for the sections.

In testimony whereof Ialfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALFONSO L. JAYNES.

Witnesses:

S. J. LEHRER, H. G. BATCHELOR.

five cents each, by addressing the commissioner oi Eatents.

Washington, D. 0. 

